Lynn M. Dingle, Warden, Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater talks through the bars to an inmate incarcerated in the segregation wing of the old building Monday morning October 23, 2007. Stillwater Prison is in the process of building a $20, 000, 000.00 solitary confinement unit ("segregation unit") to replace the aging WWI-era facility. (JOHN DOMAN, The St. Paul Pioneer Press)

Prisoners throw their feces and urine at passing correctional officers. They reach through the bars to punch or grab passersby. They set fires and flood the urinals.

And in the prison’s antiquated facility, there’s not much officials can do to prevent it.

But a new $21 million segregation unit, due to open in April, should turn things around. Prison officials say the facility’s design and electronic monitoring system will make the prison more secure and should lower tempers among prisoners.

“We have a responsibility to keep our staff safe,” said Warden Lynn Dingle. “One lawsuit can cost way more than this unit.”

The segregation unit – known as “solitary confinement” to most people – was carved out of one of the prison’s wings in 1976 because the Bayport prison didn’t have such a unit when it was built in 1914. Rows of cells are stacked four stories high, opening onto a common area.

It’s sort of a jail within a jail. It houses 110 of 1,400 inmates, or about 8 percent of the prison population. Inmates go there when they’ve broken prison rules with such actions as fighting, stealing or possessing contraband.

They get sent to “seg” for anywhere from 10 days to a year, and prison officials say isolation is one of the most effective tools in managing an inmate’s behavior.

Life there is much more restricted than in the rest of the prison. Cells are more Spartan. Few if any personal items – such as TVs – are allowed. Inmates spend only an hour a day outside their cells, during which they can exercise and shower. They get food and items only through a slot in their cell doors. When they receive visitors, no physical contact is allowed.

One of them “got a pretty good shiner,” said Stillwater prison Lt. Mike Parks.

Much of that is possible because the segregation unit has few if any of the security features found in modern prisons.

Among the problems:

— Bad “sight lines.” The design produces blind spots that make it hard for guards to see everything when they monitor the unit.

— Open cells and narrow walkways. Most modern segregation cells have steel doors. But most of Stillwater’s only have bars. Inmates can assault guards and throw things at them through the bars, and when inmates throw excrement, it rains down on anyone standing below. Angry inmates can also incite others by yelling to them or passersby through the bars.

“It can be a loud, horrible environment,” Dingle said.

— Little utility control. When prisoners flood their toilets or set fires, officials have to go to a maintenance room and shut off the utilities manually. And that shuts off water and power to the whole cellblock – not just to the offenders.

— Cramped spaces. The walkways next to the cells are narrow. Carrying prisoners – such as those who need medical attention – is difficult.

The new two-level facility, which the state Legislature approved in 2005, will house 150 inmates, 40 more than the current unit. The cells will have solid doors, so inmates won’t be able to communicate, throw things or assault guards as easily.

An electronic control system will, among other things, allow officers to better see who’s causing trouble, limit flushing and shut off power and water in selected cells by remote control.

If there’s one thing prisoners will welcome, it’s air conditioning. It may sound like a luxury, but Dingle said it actually helps keep tempers from flaring in the summer heat.

So, staffers and prisoners are looking forward to their new home, she said.

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